Automatic fire extinguisher



May 24, 1955 H. BolcE AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER 2 Shee'ts-Shet l Filed Nov. 3, 1952 rwentor n Hward Boz Gttorneg lellHz Mgy 24, 1955 H. BolcE AUToMA'rIc FIRE ExTmGuIsmR 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed NOV. 3, 1952 y SnPentor Homrd Bozce Gttorneg AU'EMATC FIRE EXTINGUISHER Howard Boice, Newburgh, N. Y.

Application November 3, 1952, Serial No. 318,432

21 Claims. (Cl. 169-26) This invention relates to automatic fire extinguishers and particularly to the type which is designed for attachment to a receptacle for waste.

The invention contemplates the provision of an extinguisher which is removably attached to the under side of the cover for a waste receptacle, such as that used in machine shops for holding oily rags, waste and the like, the extinguisher being provided with a normally closed valve and a thermostatically and manually coutrolled unit for opening the valve.

The invention further contemplates the provision, in a fire extinguisher, of a simple and dependable but resettable trigger controlling the opening of the discharge valve of a container for fire extinguishing fluid such as gas or the like under pressure, and of both automatic means and manually operable means for operating the trigger, whereby the extinguisher may be used as an automatic device to extinguish re in a receptacle which may-be moved from place to place or as a portable extinguisher movable to any point where a re may occur.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a mounting for the extinguisher whereby it may readily be attached to and detached from the cover of a waste receptacle as a complete self-contained unit, the control mechanism being readily removable as a unit from the container for extinguishing fluid and from the cover for the purposes of inspection, cleaning, repair or replacement.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a portable automatic' self-contained Valved extinguisher which may conveniently be refilled with gas or liquid without the necessity for disassembly, which may be located or re-located at any desired point and which is sensitive, adjustable and dependable in its operation of opening the discharge valve for extinguishing uid when required.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and from the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the extinguisher as it appears when attached to the cover of a waste receptacle.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the extinguisher and cover taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the trigger taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a slightly modified form of the Valve release, wherein only one valve is employed.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional View of the hinged plate employed for manual operation of the trigger.

In the practical embodiment of the invention shown by way of example, the cover of a waste can (not shown) is provided with the usual handle 11 by means of which the cover may be removed from the can and manipulated to direct the stream of extinguishing Huid toward a blaze, the extinguisher being detachably secured to the under side of the cover. Said extinguisher comprises the con- I nite States Patent O of the extinguisher.

ICS

tainer 12 for any suitable fire extinguishing iluid such as a suitable gas under pressure, liquified gas or the like, the container being provided with an outlet or discharge valve fixed to the container and normally maintained closed by the valve spring 13. Secured to the container at the outlet port 14 thereof is the collar 15, which is internally threaded for the reception of the threaded upper end of the valve body 16 having the outstanding flange or shoulder 17 thereon. A support 18 fixed within the valve body is provided with suitable perforations 19 for the passage of iiuid and holds the upper end of the valve spring 13 which is arranged around the upstanding rod 20 projecting from the valve head 21. The lower end of the spring rests on said head and urges it into closed position against the valve seat 22 on the valve support 23 which is screwed into the lower end of the valve body 16 and is vertically adjustable therein. The stem 24 of the valve head slides vertically in the support 23 to open the valve against the action of the spring. A pressure gage is secured in a suitable nipple projecting from the container 12 for use with a gas under pressure and a suitable screw plug 26 is also removably in a similar nipple and normally closes the filling opening of the container. The container is readily refilled to the required pressure as indicated by the gage 25, through the filling opening without removing the extinguisher from its cover. To secure the container removably to its cover 10, screws as 27 pass through the top of the cover and enter threaded lugs as 2S projecting from the container. The attened central area 29 at the top of the container engages the under face of the cover when the screws 27 are tightened.

A thermostatically controlled trigger unit controls the opening of the discharge valve, the entire trigger unit being suspended from the valve body 16 in such a manner that it may readily be removed for inspection, cleaning, repair or replacement without opening the valve or losing pressure from the container. Said trigger unit is suspended for easy access thereto by the overlapping U- shaped straps 3) and 31 which are separably held together by the bolts 32 passing through the adjacent overlapping end portions thereof. The upper strap 30 takes the form of an inverted U and has a central hole therein for the passage of the valve body 16, the outstanding flanged shoulder 17 of the valve body pressing the strap up against the collar 15 when the valve body is screwed into said collar 15, thereby to suspend the straps and all the parts of the unit secured thereto or supported thereby, from the container 12.

The lower strap 31 serves as a base on which rest the bellows type thermostats 33 designed to expand when subjected to heat, as when fire occurs in the can. The heat from such tire passes through the holes 34 in the walls of the lower part of the shield or casing 35 which surrounds the control unit, thereby to heat the thermostats. A tubular downward extension 36 of the shield surrounds and protects the tip of the discharge nozzle 37 When heated, the thermostats expand and thereby lift the nut 3S which is screwed around the sleeve 41, said sleeve being arranged around and being slidable on the valve body 16 in sealing relation thereto. The nut 38 is lifted through the rim 39 projecting horizontally and outwardly from the nut and engaged by the tops of the posts 44) which are interposed between said rim and the tops of the thermostats. Upward movement of the nut 3S causes corresponding movement of the sleeve 41. The upper end of said sleeve is at all times, even when the discharge valve 21, 22 is closed, in pressed contact with the yieldable gasket 42 of rubber or the like, interposed between said upper end of the sleeve and the under face of the shoulder 17. Consequently, the sleeve merely moves into tighter engagement with and further compresses the gasket 42 when the sleeve rises enough to sion 44, said spring surrounding the rod 43.

release the trigger mechanism in a manner soon to be explained.

Said trigger mechanism comprises the trigger-carrying rods 43, each rotatably mounted near its lower part in the strap 31 and at its upper part in the extension i4 of the nut 45, which nut is screwed to the lower end part of the sleeve di. A check nut 46 or other suitable fastening means holds the upper end of said rod adjustably to the extension while a pair of nuts 47 or the like connects the lower end of each rod to the manually operable hinged plate 48 for the purpose soon to be explained. The upper end of the torsion spring 50 is fixed to the exten- The lower end of the spring is secured to the hub of the trigger Si fastened to the rod 43, said trigger 51 in turn resting on the extension 52 of the adjusting nut 53 which is screwed to the upper portion of the nozzle 37. A tubular upward extension 54 of the nozzle slides vertically in, and in sealed relation to, the lower part of the sleeve il and as shown in Fig. l, carries a normally closed safety valve. Interposed between the adjusting nut 53 and the bearing 55, which is secured in the central part of the lower strap 31, is the compression spring 56 surrounding the nozzle and adapted to expand and to raise the nozzle and thereby to open both of the valves simultaneously when ti e trigger l is turned so as to move off the extension 52.

Means are provided to operate the trigger 51 to release the spring 56 when the sleeve il is raised sufficiently by the thermostats. As shown, said means comprises the cam follower 57 xed to the lower end part of the rod i 43 and rotatable therewith, and the fixed cam 5S fixed to the strap 31 and having the inclined cam slot 59 therein (Fig. 2) to receive the cam follower 57 and to rotate the follower and the rod 43 against the sprmg 5b, when the rod is raised sufficiently by the therrnostats and the sleeve 4l. When the extension 52 is freed of the trigger, the spring 56 becomes effective to raise the nozzle 37 and its extension 54 until the valve stem 6u, carried by the adjustable valve member 6i in said extension 54, engages the valve stem 24- and raises the latter lto open the upper valve. As a safety precaution to prevent undesired opening of the discharge valve of the container, the valve stem 6) may be made part of a second valve to terminate in a valve head 62 urged by the spring 63 against the valve seat 6d on the member 61. The force exerted by the springs 63 and 13 upon the respective valve heads 62 and 21 is preferably so adjusted by the adjustment of the respective valve members 61 and 23 that both valves open at the same time when the valve stems are brought forcibly into engagement.

It will now be seen that should a tire start in a can or receptacle to which the cover l@ is applied, the valves will open automatically and permit the extinguishing fluid in the container l2 to be discharged through the nozzle 7 into interior of the can. As has been indicated, manually operable means are also provided to release the spring 56 and thereby to open the valves, as when the fire occurs outside of the can and the extinguisher and its cover are lifted of the can as a combined unit and the nozzle 37 pointed toward the blaze. Said means comprises the vertical rod 65 (Figs. 2 and 5) terminating at its upper end in the nger ring 66 pivoted thereto as at 67, the lower end of said rod being secured to the plate 48. rThe rod 65 passes through the flanged tube 68 which is secured within the container l2 in leak-proof and sealed relation thereto. A washer 69 xed to the rod 65 below the container confines the spring 76B between the lower end of the tube 63 and said washer and urges the rod downwardly. Hingedly mounting the plate i3 for upward swinging movement when the rod 65 is raised is the bracket 7l secured to the shield 3d and provided with a suitable hinge pin 72 passing through the hinge loop 73 of the plate (Fig. 5). When the extinguisher is to be used by pointing the nozzle at a blaze, the linger ring 66 is pulled, thereby swinging the plate 4S about its hinge pin 72 and raising the rods 43 to carry the cam followers 57 thereon up into the slots 59 of the cams 58, whereby the rods are rotated to free the extensions 52 of the triggers 5f and to release the spring 56. Said spring then raises the nozzle 37 and the valve-holding extension 54 thereof as well as the member 61. The valve stem 60 is thereby raised into engagement with the stem 24 and the valves opened to discharge the extinguishing uid. Normally, however, the spring 7 (l maintains the rod 65 in the lowermost position thereof with the cam followers S7 out of and below the cam slots. The finger ring 66 is also out of the way of the cover handle 11 being swung about the pivot 67 into the dash-dot line position thereof shown in Fig. 2.

It will be noted that the control unit including the thermostats, trigger mechanism and nozzle are readily removed for inspection or operation thereon merely by removing the screws 32 and separating the straps by lowering the strap 31 together with the parts supported thereby. The upper end of the sleeve 4l merely drops off the gasket 42, while the contents of the container 12 remain sealed by the upper valve.

ln the form of the invention shown by Fig. 4, the lower valve is omitted, but the stem, in the form of an adjustable pin 75, is retained. Said pin is carried by the spider 76, the arms 77 of which radiate from the externally threaded ring 77. Said ring is adjustable in the nozzle extension 54 to regulate the amount of movement of the extension needed to open the valve under the urge of the spring S6, the force exerted by which is also adjustable by turning the nut 53.

After the extinguisher has been used, it may readily be relled with gas through the opening for the plug 26 and may also be reset ready for use again. Resetting i of the triggers 51 is accomplished by lowering the nozzle 37 against the action of the spring 56 until the extensions 52 are sutiiciently below the triggers to permit said triggers and the rods 43 to be lowered enough to remove the cam followers 57 from the cam slots 59 without interference. When the rods 43 are freed, the springs 50 0perate to rotate the rods and carry the triggers into the operative detent positions thereof just above the extensions 52. Release of the downward pressure on the nozzle then permits the spring 56 to move the nozzle and the extensions 52 up into contact with the triggers and to maintain such contact until the triggers are again removed therefrom manually or by the action of the thermostats.

It will now be seen that have provided an efficient and dependable heat responsive re extinguisher, mounted for automatic action in connection with a waste receptacle and also portable for use manually against a blaze at an outside point, that the control parts are so mounted as to be readily accessible and easily disassembled when required and that the structure is well adapted to perform its intended functions.

While certain specific forms of the invention have herein been shown and described, various obvious changes may be made therein Without departing from the spirit of the invention defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. The combination with a can cover, of an automatic and manually operable extinguisher comprising a container for extinguishing fluid, the container having an outlet, a valve at the outlet, thermostatically controlled means including a trigger and a spring pressed member for automatically opening the valve, manually operable means including a longitudinally movable rod passing through the container and the cover for manually releasing the trigger, and means removably attaching the container to the under surface of the cover to position the extinguisher in the interior of a can when the cover is in place on the can.

2. The combination of claim l, the means for attaching the container to the cover comprising internally threaded lugs upstanding from the upper part of the container and screws passing through the cover and entering the lugs.

3. The combination of claim l, and means for supporting the valve-opening means comprising a pair of U-shaped straps arranged with the corresponding end portions thereof in overlapping relation, bolts holding said corresponding portions together, and means suspending one of the straps from the valve.

4. In an automatic iire extinguisher, a container, an outlet valve on the container comprising a relatively fixed valve seat and a reciprocable valve stem, spring pressed reciprocating valve-opening means terminating in a nozzle and urged in a direction axially of the stem to engage and move the stem thereby to open the valve, means normally hoiding the valve-operating means against movement comprising a nut on and slidable with said means and adjustable relatively thereto and a resettable trigger normally engaging the nut, and means for moving the trigger to release the nut and the valve-opening means for movement toward the valve stem.

5. The extinguisher of claim 4, the trigger-moving means comprising a bellows-type thermostat, a cam to move the trigger off the support on the expansion of the thermostat and an operative connection between the thermostat and the cam.

6. The extinguisher of claim 4, the valve-opening means comprising a second valve including an adjustable valve seat and a spring urging the valve toward the seat.

7. The extinguisher of claim 4, the means for moving the trigger comprising a rod carrying the trigger, a torsion spring urging the rod to rotate, a cam follower on the rod and a cam arranged to engage the follower and to turn the rod against the action of the spring when the rod is raised, and an expansible thermostat to raise the rod when the thermostat is heated beyond a prede termined limit.

8. In an automatic extinguisher, a container, a first spring pressed outlet valve carried by the container and including a first reciprocable valve stem, a second spring pressed valve in alignment with the first valve and including a second reciprocable valve stem arranged in longitudinally. spaced relation to the iirst stem, a longitudinally movable support for the second stem, a spring urging the support to move in a direction to carry the second stem into contact with the first stem, a trigger normally holding the support against movement, an expansible thermostat, and an operative connection between the thermostat and the trigger to withdraw the trigger from the support and thereby to release the last mentioned spring.

9. The extinguisher of claim 8 and a sleeve surrounding the valves and in sealing engagement with the support.

10. The extinguisher of claim 9, the operative con-- nection comprising means interposed between the thermostat and the sleeve to move the sleeve longitudinally on the expansion of the thermostat, a rod carried by and mov able with the sleeve and carrying the trigger and means for turning the rod.

l1. The extinguisher of claim 9, and manually operable means to operate the connection in a direction to withdraw the trigger from the support.

12. In an automatic extinguisher, a container, a discharge Valve carried by the container, a control unit for opening the valve automatically, manually operable means for operating the control unit to open the valve, said unit comprising a slidable spring pressed supporting member and a valve-opening member carried by the supporting member, a heat responsive trigger normally engaging the supporting member, and a sleeve surrounding and movable independently of the valve and the supporting member and carrying the trigger, the trigger normally holding the sleeve and the supporting member in spaced relation and being movable to release the supporting member and the valve-opening member to move relatively to the sleeve.

13. The extinguisher of claim l2, and means for moving the trigger comprising a bellows-type thermostat connected to the sleeve, a rod carried by the sleeve ano carrying the trigger and means for turning the rod away from the supporting member.

14. The extinguisher of claim 13, and means for supporting the control unit for removal from the container comprising a tirst strap suspended from the valve, a second strap supporting the thermostat, the rod and the supporting member and means detachably connecting the straps.

l5. The extinguisher of claim 13, the supporting member terminating in a nozzle.

16. The extinguisher of claim 13, the manually operable means a second longitudinally movable rod passing through the container and sealed therefrom, and a plate secured to the lower end of the second rod and connected to the trigger-carrying rod, and cam means to turn the trigger-carrying rod when said rod is raised by the plate.

17. in an automatic extinguisher, a discharge valve having a valve disc movable in a direction axially of the valve to open and to close the valve, a valve-opening member aligned coaxially with the discharge valve, a spring-pressed support for the member terminating in a nozzle and movable axially of the valve and the member, a sleeve surrounding the valve and the support and movable axially relatively thereto, a thermostat connected to and arranged to move the sleeve, and triggered means interposed between the sleeve and the support to release the support on predetermined movement of the sleeve by the thermostat.

18. ln an automatic extinguisher according to claim 17, the valve-opening member comprising a second valve disc having a stem arranged coaxially with and adapted to engage the discharge valve.

19. In an automatic extinguisher, a movable normally closed spring-pressed discharge valve and a thermostatically controlled unit for moving the valve to open position, said unit comprising a slidable spring-pressed supporting member terminating in a nozzle communicating with the valve, a valve-opening member movable with and carried by the supporting member in position to engage and open the valve on movement ot the supporting member in valve-opening direction, a trigger carried by the supporting member and normally maintaining the supporting member in retracted position wherein the valve-opening member is in spaced relation to the valve, and a thermostat having an. operative connection to the trigger and adapted to move the trigger into position to release the supporting member.

20. The extinguisher of claim 19, the operative connection comprising a sleeve surrounding and movable independently of the valve and the supporting member, and a trigger rod movabic v-/ith the sleeve and interposed between the trigger and the sleeve and connected thereto.

21. The extinguisher of claim 20, the trigger being rotatable, and a spring rotating the trigger on expansion of the thermostat and consequent longitudinal movement of the trigger rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 774,352 Galvin Nov. 8, 1904 1,100,837 Lorimer lune 23, 1914 2,588,788 Zell Mar. 11, 1952 

